McHale is scheduled to face the winner of Ayumi Morita versus Tamira Paszek in a second-round match Wednesday; their first-rounder was suspended by rain and expected to conclude today.

McHale is happy to wait after scoring her first-ever victory at Wimbledon, doing so by winning in a way she couldn’t in previous Grand Slam matches. Earlier this season at the French Open, McHale blew a 5-0 third-set lead against Italian Sara Errani, losing 9-7 and failing to make it out of the first round. McHale lost by the same third-set score in the 2009 Australian Open.

She found her redemption Monday, serving for the match at 7-6, falling behind love-40 but rebounding to win.

“It definitely feels much better to be on this side of the match than last time in Paris,” McHale told the Associated Press in England. “I was just trying to focus on each point, which is something I think I learned from the match in Paris.”

McHale said she learned from what happened at Roland Garros, admitting, “I didn’t want to have that happen again.” The determination paid off.

“When you’re in the third set it’s a combination of physical skills and mental stamina and I’m so happy to see today that she came out on the winning side,” John

McHale, Christina’s father, said from their Bergen County home. “It’s a thrill to see this happen. Since [turning pro] she’s been very focused, concentrating on doing the best she can.”

McHale made the tough decision to forgo her amateur status following the 2010 French Open, though tennis has long been a full-time passion, having taken her out of high school after her freshman year and down to Florida to train year-round. The onetime eighth grade valedictorian finished her studies through online courses, making herself a student in the game of life. She learned fluent Spanish from her mother, Margharita, a Cuban immigrant, and passable Mandarin from the five-year stint her family spent in Hong Kong due to her father’s job.

Christina and Margharita left for Europe in May for the start of the clay court season, and Christina headed into Wimbledon ranked No. 71, her highest career ranking.

“She’s been practicing very hard and wants to be able to do well,” John said.

Unfortunately, dad didn’t get to see his daughter’s success, neither in person nor during the final televised set. Stuck in some daylong meetings at work, he remains hopeful of clearing his schedule for Wednesday morning.

“I only got the news from texts telling me she won,” he said. “I’m hoping I can free up Wednesday, though there’s no guarantee they’ll be showing it on TV. She’s not at that point in the headlines, but if not, I can watch the live scoring on the computer.”

While the victory was the first for McHale at Wimbledon, it was not the first in a Grand Slam.

Two years ago, the teenager stunned Polonia Hercog in the first round of the U.S. Open, earning herself a second-round match on the famed Arthur Ashe center court. Though the crowd was behind her, McHale bowed out of the tournament against the eventual champion, Maria Sharapova.

McHale found no such magic last year in New York, battling a leg injury before losing an opening-round match to fellow American Vania King, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. That afternoon in Queens, inside a small post-match interview room, McHale expressed optimism about her tennis future. While American tennis has stalled due to various injuries to top players Venus and Serena Williams, McHale along with players such as King and Melanie Oudin, are beginning to rise up.

“I would love to be a part of the next generation,” McHale said that August day.

McHale is scheduled to face the winner of Ayumi Morita versus Tamira Paszek in a second-round match Wednesday; their first-rounder was suspended by rain and expected to conclude today.

McHale is happy to wait after scoring her first-ever victory at Wimbledon, doing so by winning in a way she couldn’t in previous Grand Slam matches. Earlier this season at the French Open, McHale blew a 5-0 third-set lead against Italian Sara Errani, losing 9-7 and failing to make it out of the first round. McHale lost by the same third-set score in the 2009 Australian Open.

She found her redemption Monday, serving for the match at 7-6, falling behind love-40 but rebounding to win.

“It definitely feels much better to be on this side of the match than last time in Paris,” McHale told the Associated Press in England. “I was just trying to focus on each point, which is something I think I learned from the match in Paris.”

McHale said she learned from what happened at Roland Garros, admitting, “I didn’t want to have that happen again.” The determination paid off.

“When you’re in the third set it’s a combination of physical skills and mental stamina and I’m so happy to see today that she came out on the winning side,” John

McHale, Christina’s father, said from their Bergen County home. “It’s a thrill to see this happen. Since [turning pro] she’s been very focused, concentrating on doing the best she can.”

McHale made the tough decision to forgo her amateur status following the 2010 French Open, though tennis has long been a full-time passion, having taken her out of high school after her freshman year and down to Florida to train year-round. The onetime eighth grade valedictorian finished her studies through online courses, making herself a student in the game of life. She learned fluent Spanish from her mother, Margharita, a Cuban immigrant, and passable Mandarin from the five-year stint her family spent in Hong Kong due to her father’s job.

Christina and Margharita left for Europe in May for the start of the clay court season, and Christina headed into Wimbledon ranked No. 71, her highest career ranking.

“She’s been practicing very hard and wants to be able to do well,” John said.

Unfortunately, dad didn’t get to see his daughter’s success, neither in person nor during the final televised set. Stuck in some daylong meetings at work, he remains hopeful of clearing his schedule for Wednesday morning.

“I only got the news from texts telling me she won,” he said. “I’m hoping I can free up Wednesday, though there’s no guarantee they’ll be showing it on TV. She’s not at that point in the headlines, but if not, I can watch the live scoring on the computer.”

While the victory was the first for McHale at Wimbledon, it was not the first in a Grand Slam.

Two years ago, the teenager stunned Polonia Hercog in the first round of the U.S. Open, earning herself a second-round match on the famed Arthur Ashe center court. Though the crowd was behind her, McHale bowed out of the tournament against the eventual champion, Maria Sharapova.

McHale found no such magic last year in New York, battling a leg injury before losing an opening-round match to fellow American Vania King, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. That afternoon in Queens, inside a small post-match interview room, McHale expressed optimism about her tennis future. While American tennis has stalled due to various injuries to top players Venus and Serena Williams, McHale along with players such as King and Melanie Oudin, are beginning to rise up.

“I would love to be a part of the next generation,” McHale said that August day.